Brush Bristle Cover

ABSTRACT

A brush bristle cover encompasses the bristles of the makeup brush head for the purposes of hygiene, protection, and convenience. The arrangement of the apparatus allows for protection of brush bristles during transportation and immediately after use. The apparatus creates an enclosure around the bristles of the brush. Being made of a shape retaining material, especially silicone or other such durable semirigid materials, the desired protective function can be achieved without damaging a carrying bag or purse. The apparatus prevents the bristles from receiving damage due to the ambient environment in which the bristles are stored while simultaneously allowing the contained portion of the brush head to retain in its desired shape. This method of storage will allow the brush to stay free of environmental irritants, thus requiring less frequent washing practices. The apparatus will increase the longevity of the brush bristles by protecting them from being displaced during storage.

The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patentapplication Ser. No. 63/059,469 filed on Jul. 31, 2020.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to protective cover for brushbristles. More specifically, the present invention is a brush bristlecover that encompasses the bristles of a brush head, especially a makeupbrush head, for the purposes of hygiene, protection, and convenience.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Brushes, especially makeup brushes, are used for the application ofmakeup, such as foundation (tinted liquid) and cosmetic powders (tintedand non-tinted fine particles). These and other cosmetic materials arecommonly kept together in storage bags, especially makeup bags, thatallow for the products to be found in one place and transported betweenvarying locations. Makeup brushes are therefore often surrounded byitems that can physically and undesirably interact with the brushbristles. If a makeup brush is placed without a covering into a purse oronto any surface that can take up color or moisture, then that articleor surface is likely to become stained and/or damaged. Furthercomplicating the challenge is the need to protect the bristlesthemselves from damage or cross-contamination during storage. Thecurrent storage methods for makeup brushes often contribute to thecontamination of brushes and make more frequent sanitation necessary.Makeup brush users typically want to wash their brushes as infrequentlyas possible, as users cannot use the brushes to apply makeup while thebristles are wet. Reducing the frequency of brush sanitation can beachieved by better storing practices.

Various solutions to this problem have been developed, with rangingtypes of success in variable applications. At time of sale, a makeupbrush is typically enclosed in a plastic packaging to protect thebristles of the makeup brush from damage and contamination before usage.This plastic packaging is frequently discarded after removing the brushas it is generally unbefitting for continued use. The packaging is mostoften made of low-quality material that compresses the bristles tightlyagainst the plastic which is neither aesthetically pleasing to the usernor functionally appropriate. Alternative plastic coverings made withhigher quality plastic are available for purchase; however, these stillcompress the bristles and function as tight sleeves over the bristles.Such designs are commonly presented with an open top, leaving the tipsof the bristles exposed and therefore vulnerable to contamination.Because brushes are not washed between each use or after being stored,any contamination from their environments can be transmitted to theuser's skin, potentially causing acne and other irritations uponsubsequent use. In continuation, it should be noted that after repeateduse of a makeup brush, the makeup brush bristles tend to blossomoutwards, allowing for more even application of the makeup upon theintended skin surface. Storing a makeup brush after use into a coveringthat recompresses the bristles would therefore compromise thefunctionality. A further common solution to this problem is often madeof a thin mesh material which allows for more movement of the bristlesas it does not compress the bristles as tightly. Unfortunately, thisalso does not let the bristles remain in their ideal position. The meshmaterial also does not protect the bristles during storage and thereforedoes not function as an ideal protective covering. The most commonlyused method for protecting a makeup brush during storage requires theuse of an additional bag or container within the original storage bag ormakeup bag. This method is inconvenient and unfavorable because too muchspace is consumed within the original storage bag. Furthermore, such asolution typically involves multiple brushes being enclosed together.This method tends to result in brush bristles being flattened or pinchedinto positions that can cause the bristles to become frayed ordislodged. In addition, this method may cause cross-contamination ofbrush bristles of powdered makeup with brush bristles of liquid makeupand vice versa. What is needed is a device that can appropriately storeindividual brushes without disturbing the arrangement of the brushbristles.

The present invention addresses the daily problems outlined above. Withthe present invention enclosing almost entirely around the bristles ofthe brush but being made with a shape retaining material, the desiredfunction can be achieved. The present invention protects the brushbristles from the storage environment while simultaneously allowing thebrush head inside to remain in its desired shape. A contained chamberprovides appropriate space to allow brush bristles to retain theirnatural shape. A slot opening into the chamber allows for a brush toenter the present invention while minimizing exposure to potentialcontaminants. An opposing circular opening prevents the brush bristlesfrom exiting the receptacle area undesirably during storage. This methodof storage will allow for the brush to stay free of environmentalirritants and therefore require less frequent washing practices. Inaddition, the protection provided will increase the longevity of thebrush bristles by protecting them from being displaced during storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right sectional view about line 2-2 in FIG. 1 of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a right view of the present invention including a containedbrush.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the present invention including a containedbrush.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describingselected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limitthe scope of the present invention.

The present invention is a brush bristle cover that is used to protectthe bristles of a brush, especially a makeup application brush, frompotential contamination during storage. The present invention is alsoconfigured to prevent the brush bristles from becoming squished orotherwise compressively damaged due to surrounding objects. The presentinvention comprises a bristle receptacle 1 and an entrance slot 5, asshown in FIG. 2. The bristle receptacle 1 is the protective hollow unitthat defines the volume of space available for retaining the bristles ofa brush. The entrance slot 5 denotes an elongated gap through which abrush and bristles may enter the bristle receptacle 1, thus allowing abrush and bristles to access the bristle receptacle 1 and simultaneouslyminimizing the potential for exposure to external contaminants thatcould otherwise enter the bristle receptacle 1.

The general configuration of the aforementioned components allows thepresent invention to efficiently and effectively insert and retain thebristles of a brush during storage. The bristle receptacle 1 maycomprise an open end 2 and a closed end 4, as shown in FIG. 1. The openend 2 is an opening in the bristle receptacle 1 through which, in thepreferred usage of the present invention, a brush handle may be pulledin order to arrange the brush bristles appropriately within the bristlereceptacle 1. The closed end 4 is the segment of the bristle receptacle1 opposite the open end 2. The entrance slot 5 may comprise a firstlengthwise lip 6 and a second lengthwise lip 7. The first lengthwise lip6 is a segment of the entrance slot 5 which defines an edge againstwhich the bristles of a brush may press for appropriate orientation andarrangement within the bristle receptacle 1 upon completion of themounting process Similarly, the second lengthwise lip 7 is the segmentof the entrance slot 5 generally opposite the first lengthwise lip 6which defines an edge against which the bristles of a brush may pressfor appropriate orientation and arrangement within the bristlereceptacle 1 upon completion of the mounting process. The entrance slot5 may be integrated into the closed end 4. In this way, the entranceslot 5 is positioned opposite the open end 2 about the bristlereceptacle 1. The bristle receptacle 1 may taper from the closed end 4to the open end 2. This arrangement provides appropriate volume for thebristles of a contained brush, especially for fanned brush bristles. Thefirst lengthwise lip 6 and the second lengthwise lip 7 may be positionedparallel and offset to each other. Thus, a brush pulled through theentrance slot 5 may have its bristles oriented appropriately for storagein the bristle receptacle 1 through the first lengthwise lip 6 and thesecond lengthwise lip 7. The first lengthwise lip 6 and the secondlengthwise lip 7 may be positioned offset from each other by a clearancegap 8, as shown in FIG. 3. The clearance gap 8 is a distance of theentrance slot 5 that is minimized to prevent dust, particulate matter,and other contaminants from passing through the entrance slot 5. Bypinching the edges of the entrance slot 5 together, users may widen theentrance slot 5 to create another convenient and intuitive mechanism bywhich to add a brush into the present invention.

The bristle receptacle 1 must be both rigid for protection and flexibleto allow for minimization of storage space required. To this end, thebristle receptacle 1 may be made of semirigid polymeric material. Thus,the bristle receptacle 1 allows for convenient brush bristle storage, asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Furthermore, many materials meet the mechanical property requirementsnecessary for the present invention, but among those materials, few haveadditional qualities, such as high thermal resistance, mechanicalfatigue resistance, and more that further enhance the usability of thepresent invention. To this end, the bristle receptacle 1 may be made ofsilicone. This arrangement ensures that the bristle receptacle 1 meetsthe necessary physical requirements as well as other desirable materialtraits.

Since, in the preferred usage of the present invention, the brush passesthrough the entrance slot 5 handle-first, the entrance slot 5 must becapable of temporarily adapting to the shape of a brush handle. To thisend, the entrance slot 5 may be flexible. In this way, the entrance slot5 may recoil back to the desirable slot shape after a brush handle hascompletely passed through the entrance slot 5.

The open end 2 must similarly be capable of adapting to the shape of thebrush head in order to allow brush bristles to pass through the open end2 undamaged. To enable this, the open end 2 may be flexible. Thus, theopen end 2 is able to adjust to a necessary bristle shape during usage.

The first lengthwise lip 6 and the second lengthwise lip 7 must bearranged optimally in order to allow for any of a wide variety ofbrushes to fit appropriately within the bristle receptacle 1. To thisend, a length of the first lengthwise lip 6 may be 40 millimeters (mm),a length of the second lengthwise lip 7 may be 40 mm, and the firstlengthwise lip 6 and the second lengthwise lip 7 may be coextensive toeach other. The specified lengths have been found optimal for allowing abrush to pass through the present invention. Having the first lengthwiselip 6 coextensive with the second lengthwise lip 7 ensures minimaldisturbance of brush bristles that have been desirably feathered fromuse.

In order to further protect brush bristles from external contamination,the clearance gap 8 must be of appropriate size to allow a brush to passthrough without contacting the brush bristles. To allow for this, awidth of the clearance gap 8 may be 1 mm. This dimension has been foundto be especially effective at providing the necessary brush clearancespace without affecting the brush bristles.

While the open end 2 is preferably made of flexible material, it isstill optimal for the open end 2 to default to the general shape of across-section of a brush in order to prevent contained brush bristlesfrom passing through the open end 2 undesirably. To this end, the openend 2 may be a circular-shaped opening. In this way, the open end 2 isoptimally prepared for containment of a brush handle during usage of thepresent invention.

It may be further desirable to ensure that any of a variety of brushhandles may fit comfortably within the open end 2 during use withoutallowing the bristles to pass through. To this end, a circumference 3 ofthe circular-shaped opening may be 55 mm. This dimension ensures thatthe majority of standard-sized brush handles may fit comfortably withinthe open end 2, while the majority of brush bristles may not fallthrough the open end 2 incidentally.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A brush bristle cover comprises: a bristlereceptacle; an entrance slot; the bristle receptacle comprising an openend and a closed end; the entrance slot comprising a first lengthwiselip and a second lengthwise lip; the entrance slot being integrated intothe closed end; the bristle receptacle tapering from the closed end tothe open end; the first lengthwise lip and the second lengthwise lipbeing positioned parallel and offset to each other; and the firstlengthwise lip and the second lengthwise lip being positioned offsetfrom each other by a clearance gap.
 2. The brush bristle cover asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the bristle receptacle is made of semirigidpolymeric material.
 3. The brush bristle cover as claimed in claim 2,wherein the bristle receptacle is made of silicone.
 4. The brush bristlecover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the entrance slot is flexible. 5.The brush bristle cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the open end isflexible.
 6. The brush bristle cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein alength of the first lengthwise lip is 40 millimeters (mm), and wherein alength of the second lengthwise lip is 40 mm, and wherein the firstlengthwise lip and the second lengthwise lip are coextensive to eachother.
 7. The brush bristle cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein a widthof the clearance gap is 1 mm.
 8. The brush bristle cover as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the open end is a circular-shaped opening.
 9. The brushbristle cover as claimed in claim 8 wherein a circumference of thecircular-shaped opening is 55 mm.
 10. A brush bristle cover comprises: abristle receptacle; an entrance slot; the bristle receptacle comprisingan open end and a closed end; the entrance slot comprising a firstlengthwise lip and a second lengthwise lip; the entrance slot beingintegrated into the closed end; the bristle receptacle tapering from theclosed end to the open end; the first lengthwise lip and the secondlengthwise lip being positioned parallel and offset to each other; thefirst lengthwise lip and the second lengthwise lip being positionedoffset from each other by a clearance gap; and the bristle receptaclebeing made of semirigid polymeric material.
 11. The brush bristle coveras claimed in claim 10, wherein the bristle receptacle is made ofsilicone.
 12. The brush bristle cover as claimed in claim 10, whereinthe entrance slot is flexible.
 13. The brush bristle cover as claimed inclaim 10, wherein the open end is flexible.
 14. The brush bristle coveras claimed in claim 10, wherein a length of the first lengthwise lip is40 millimeters (mm), and wherein a length of the second lengthwise lipis 40 mm, and wherein the first lengthwise lip and the second lengthwiselip are coextensive to each other.
 15. The brush bristle cover asclaimed in claim 10, wherein a width of the clearance gap is 1 mm. 16.The brush bristle cover as claimed in claim 10, wherein the open end isa circular-shaped opening.
 17. The brush bristle cover as claimed inclaim 16 wherein a circumference of the circular-shaped opening is 55mm.